Fence post



Sept. 18, 1928. 1,684,802

N. A. OCHILTREE FENCE POST Filed Jan. 30, 1928 Patented Sept. 18, 1928.

UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NED A. OCHILTRIEE, 0F OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR TO CONCRETE ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA, A CORPORATION OF NEBRASKA.

FENCE POST.

Application filed January so, 1928. Serial No. 250,368.

This invention pertains to fence posts and more particularly to tubular metal posts such as those made from old boiler tubes and the like. i I Y Fence posts of the character above mentioned have been known and used for a considerable period of time but their use has .not been as extensive as it might otherwise have been were it not for several difliculties and disadvantages encountered with their use. In the first place if the tubebe left in its natural'open ended form when used as interior.

a fence post, while the top end may afford sufiicient'impact' area to enabie each driving blow struck it to be fully eflective without splitting or distorting the post or the post end, the end o'f the post being open wide permits rain and frost to get in and deteriorate the metal.

To overcome this difiiculty and disadvantage it has become more or less common to pinch or flatten the driving end after the manner illustrated in Griswold Patent No. 378,051 or that shown and described in the Carlson and l'Vilcox Patent No. 1,609,795. However, such construction or arrangement also has serious disadvantages which in some measure onset the advantage gained by closing the end. \Vhen the tube is pinched or flattened at the top a very narrow driving surface is presented to the maul on other device used in driving the post in, which increases the chances of missing the post entirely when striking the blow and very often causes the post to be battered or broken because the blow is a glancing one. Then too such a driving edge because it is an edge, is easily flattened or battered over when driven with a sledge or maul and sometimes tends to buckle over. Moreover this type of head very frequently opens up when driven and permits moisture to enter within the I have devised an arrangement whereby the end of a tubular metal post may be closed off entirely to prevent the entrance of water or moisture. one which will provide a driving area properly distributed for its purpose. and one which will be stronger and more effective than prior constructions as well as one which will overcome the disadvantages and difficulties encountered heretofore. Such may be said to be the primary object of my invention.

Other objects, the advantages and uses of my invention will'be' and should become apparent after reading the followingdescription and claims and atter viewing the draw ng 1n which:

Fig. l is an elevational view of a tubular 1 Fig. 3 is an enlargedperspectiveiview of l the top end of the po'still ust'ratedinFigs. l and 2. Y n Y Referring more particularly to I the drawing. 1 designates a tubular' st'eel fencepost which may have served a previously .useful life as a tube in a boiler. In oi'derf to'faeilitate driving such 'post its'bottoni end is flattened off on a taper as illustrated at 2 on opposite sides to make the same wedge shaped and if desired, as is often the case, the bottom edge may be beveled off as illustrated at 3 to point the same. driving end according to the invention is pinched in from opposite sides, that is, at the ends of a diameter and adjacent thereto as indicated at 4 to provide a stem portion 5 while the ends of the portion 5 are spread laterally thereof by pressure applied at right angles to the direction in which pressure is applied to the portions 4, that is, to the portions 6. The net result is the provision of areas 7 the longest dimensions of which in the form illustrated extend at right angles to the length of the portion 5 whereby an I- heam end section for the post is provided.

The I-beam section need not extend for a very great distance along the length of the post but for a 6 ft. post 2 ins. in diameter I have found it preferable to have the I-beam section extend a little over an inch. This arrangement in construction materially strengthens the driving end of the post and affords an effective driving area, prevents the post from opening up during the driving, and in short overcomes all of the difliculties and disadvantages heretofore met in utilizing tubular metal posts. The I-beam type of head being approximately of the same general diameter longitudinally of the I as the main section of the post below the head, results in practically every driving blow iniparted thereto being communicated directly to the wall of the tube below the head without any flattening or battering effects. The

The top or.

result is a post which is much easier to drive and onefwh ich m'ay; be driven absolutely straight. Since the 'top does not batter or open up when hammered with a sledge 'or maul it remains sealed-"against the entrance of moisture.

In order that fence wire, Woven or stranded, may be secured to the post, the tubular portion of each may be drilled through from one side to the otherflflsfiadd intervals as' shown at 8 Thus when the fencing is to be seffurell to the p0'st',""atie wire orfthe like may be'placedabout' a strand of the fencing threaded through on'e'of theholes 8 and secured to the postin any desiizio'le manner.

While'tl liaiie illustrated and described the preferred "elnbdtli r'niit 015 my I invention" it be appreciated that it is susceptible of iifc'idificlition "a'lid kzhanges without departure from the spirit-o f'the "invention or the scope of the appendedclairns;

I claim:

1. An article of manufacture, a tubular metal fence bsvhavmg it's top and for-med in'to I -heamshapej I 2. Ahi article' oi ni'a'nufac-tu'r'e,' a "tubular metal iaee'past havingi'ts'driving end for tubing, oneend 'of said piece'havi'ng portions collapsed so asto'm-eet into a plane surface and having the sides of the flattened end distorted toward one another a sufficient distance to bringthem at least to the original d-iattlefter -01- tlie pustthereat.

4. An article of manufacture a. fence post made of a fsingle piece of -inetal' tubing; one end of said piece havingpdrt ibns' at andadjacient'tneends of'a diameter flattened to getherand having the sides of the flattened end distorted toward one another asufficient distance'to 'biingftheinfit least to theorig inal diameter ofthepost tffiereat, whereby the sa'ldend'of' the "posti's I-heam shape in ci-e's-s-seetiomthe te'm o'f the I incrOss-Secthan being of substantially 'gieziter lengtl'i tlia' the lengthbfeithr'endthereof in cross- $QE15i1l a 4 In witness of the f'r'gding'l 'afiix ray-si nature.

NED A; OCH-ILTREE. 

